Jump to:🎙 Voice AI🤖 AI Agent Capabilities🔗 FMS💬 Omnichannel Communication⭐ Marketing Automation📊 Reporting📱 Tenant Self-Service Portal🔒 Security, Compliance🚀 Onboarding, Support
1. Voice AI & Call Handling11 criteria
| # | Evaluation Criterion | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Configurable call handling modes Can the AI answer all calls immediately, after N rings, or only after hours? Can sales vs. service routing be configured independently? | H |
| 2 | NLU accuracy / storage-specific training Is the AI trained on vertical-specific self-storage data, or is it a generic model? How many conversations in the training set? | H |
| 3 | Self-resolution rate without human escalation What percentage of calls are handled end-to-end without a live agent? Is that a published benchmark with reference customers? | H |
| 4 | Post-call summary and transcription Are call transcripts and AI-generated summaries available per interaction? Are they searchable across the portfolio? | M |
| 5 | Call scoring with customizable rubrics Can your team define its own scoring criteria? Is customer sentiment captured at the conversation level? | M |
| 6 | Escalation routing logic (intent/availability/rule) Is routing intent-based, availability-based, or rule-based? Can all three be configured simultaneously? | H |
| 7 | 24/7 AI coverage with no capability degradation Does the AI handle calls after hours at the same capability level as during business hours? | H |
| 8 | Multi-location call routing from a single number Can one phone number route intelligently across multiple properties in a portfolio? | M |
| 9 | Outbound voice campaigns (collections, win-back) Are outbound voice campaigns AI-driven and live in production? Can you show a reference customer? | H |
| 10 | In-call payment processing (FMS-integrated) Can tenants pay over the phone without human involvement, using the FMS payment processor directly? | H |
| 11 | Gate code delivery via voice, SMS, or email Are gate codes delivered using live FMS data? Can the delivery channel be configured per location? | M |
2. AI Agent Capabilities9 criteria
| # | Evaluation Criterion | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Storage-specific AI training data (not generic) Is this a horizontal platform adapted for storage, or was it purpose-built for the industry from day one? | H |
| 13 | Omnichannel consistency across Voice, SMS, Chat, Email Does the same AI intent model apply across all four channels? Are all four channels live in production today? | H |
| 14 | Autonomous decision-making (not scripted flows) Does the AI make contextual decisions, or follow rigid decision trees that break on unexpected input? | H |
| 15 | Lead qualification and progressive profiling Is partial lead data captured if the call is dropped? How is an incomplete lead recovered? | H |
| 16 | Unit size recommendation engine Can the AI recommend the right unit size based on stated storage needs across voice and chat? | M |
| 17 | Cross-sell and upsell trained on operator SOPs Can operators train the AI on their own SOPs for upsell and cross-sell? | M |
| 18 | Abandoned lead follow-up sequences (multi-step) Are non-converting leads re-engaged automatically? Is the cadence customizable? | H |
| 19 | AI-driven collections outreach (FDCPA-compliant) Does outbound collections include FDCPA guardrails? What happens when a distressed debtor is detected? | H |
| 20 | Agent coaching, QA tooling, and call flagging Can the platform flag calls for review, score agents on custom rubrics, and support structured coaching? | H |
3. FMS Integration & Data Architecture9 criteria
| # | Evaluation Criterion | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | FMS integrations live in production today (full list) Which FMS platforms are natively integrated and live in production today? Not beta, not planned. | H |
| 22 | Bidirectional sync: reads live tenant data during call Does the AI access live tenant data (balance, gate code, unit status) during the interaction, or is it working from a cached copy? | H |
| 23 | Bidirectional sync: writes all activity back to FMS Are interactions, notes, and outcomes written back to FMS automatically? Is manual entry required for anything? | H |
| 24 | Lead creation in FMS from AI interactions Are new leads created directly in the FMS from AI interactions, including partial and dropped contacts? | H |
| 25 | Real-time sync vs. batch sync frequency Is FMS data refreshed in real time during calls, or on a scheduled batch interval? | M |
| 26 | Raw data export and BI tool integration via webhook Can raw interaction data be delivered to your data warehouse via webhook for Tableau, dbt, Looker, or custom BI tools? | H |
| 27 | Multi-FMS support for mixed-stack portfolios Can one account manage locations on different FMS platforms simultaneously? Is this in production? | M |
| 28 | Average implementation timeline (contract to live) What is the average time from signed contract to live AI answering calls? What is your fastest onboarding? | H |
| 29 | Native integrations with no middleware tax Are integrations maintained natively by your team, or do they rely on third-party connectors that break on FMS updates? | M |
4. Omnichannel Communication8 criteria
| # | Evaluation Criterion | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | Inbound SMS: AI-driven autonomous response Does the AI read, decide, and respond to inbound SMS autonomously, or does a human approve every response? | H |
| 31 | Outbound SMS: multi-step campaign sequences Can you configure multi-step outbound SMS campaigns with branching logic and a customizable cadence? | H |
| 32 | Email: outbound branded templates with personalization Are branded HTML email templates available with personalization tokens (name, balance, unit, location)? | M |
| 33 | Web chat: AI-powered (not a scripted FAQ bot) Is the web chatbot AI-driven with contextual decision-making, or is it a scripted FAQ flow? | H |
| 34 | Unified omnichannel inbox (all channels, one view) Can agents see Voice, SMS, Email, and Chat in a single unified inbox without switching between systems? | M |
| 35 | Conversation continuity when tenant switches channels Is context preserved if a tenant moves from chat to voice mid-conversation? | M |
| 36 | Broadcast / one-to-many messaging by location Can you send announcements to all tenants at a specific location or across the portfolio simultaneously? | M |
| 37 | SMS payment links with click tracking Are payment URLs in SMS trackable for click engagement? Does it integrate with the FMS payment processor? | M |
5. Marketing Automation & Reputation6 criteria
| # | Evaluation Criterion | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| 38 | Review solicitation sequences (post-move-in and post-move-out) Are review requests triggered automatically via SMS and email at configurable intervals after move-in and move-out? | H |
| 39 | Review inbox with AI-generated response drafts Is there a centralized inbox to manage and respond to Google reviews? Does AI draft responses for operator approval? | H |
| 40 | Auto-reply for 4-5 star reviews Can the platform automatically post responses to positive reviews without requiring operator approval for each one? Is this configurable per location? | H |
| 41 | Referral program: tracking and lead attribution Does the platform track referral sources and attribute inbound leads to specific referrers? | H |
| 42 | Referral conversion reporting Can operators see how many referrals were sent, how many converted to rentals, and the revenue impact? | M |
| 43 | Reputation metrics dashboard (rating trends, response rate, NPS) Is there a consolidated dashboard showing average rating, review volume trends, response rate, and NPS across the portfolio? | M |
6. Reporting & Analytics9 criteria
| # | Evaluation Criterion | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | Interaction volume by topic, channel, and outcome Can you filter by call type (billing, sales, gate code) and see resolution vs. escalation rates by type? | H |
| 45 | Portfolio drill-down from org level to single location Can you move from org-level KPIs to a single location in one view? | H |
| 46 | Revenue attribution from AI interactions Can you tie AI interactions to payments, move-ins, and collections recoveries in reporting? | H |
| 47 | Escalation rate and reason tracking Are escalation rates tracked by type and reason? Is this in the standard dashboard? | M |
| 48 | Sentiment analysis at conversation level Is customer sentiment captured per interaction and available in portfolio-wide trending? | M |
| 49 | Agent performance reporting Can you measure individual agent response times, resolution rates, and scoring results over time? | M |
| 50 | Campaign performance tracking (outbound) Are outbound campaign results (contact rate, payment rate, opt-outs) tracked and available in reporting? | H |
| 51 | Data warehouse delivery via webhook and API Can raw interaction data be delivered to your data warehouse via webhook for Tableau, dbt, Looker, or custom BI tools? | H |
| 52 | Interaction duration and time-to-resolution Is average handle time tracked per channel and call type? Is it available at the individual location level? | M |
7. Tenant Self-Service Portal10 criteria
| # | Evaluation Criterion | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| 53 | White-labeled tenant portal included in subscription Is a branded tenant portal included in the base subscription, or is it a separate purchase? | H |
| 54 | Mobile-first / installable Progressive Web App Does the portal work on mobile without requiring an app store download? | M |
| 55 | Portal: make payments (FMS-integrated) Can tenants pay without calling the office? Does it use the same FMS payment processor? | H |
| 56 | Portal: retrieve gate code and unit info (24/7) Is gate code access available 24/7 in the portal without staff involvement? | H |
| 57 | Portal: view insurance coverage (FMS-linked) Can tenants view their current insurance coverage status in the portal? | M |
| 58 | Portal: submit maintenance requests Is there a structured maintenance request flow for tenants in the portal? | M |
| 59 | Portal: schedule move-out Can tenants initiate and schedule a move-out without calling or emailing the office? | M |
| 60 | Portal: lease document access and account history Can tenants view their lease, account history, and payment receipts on demand? | M |
| 61 | Portal: referral submission and review flows Is tenant referral submission and review solicitation accessible through the portal? | M |
| 62 | Portal included at no additional cost Is the self-service portal included at no additional cost, or priced separately? | H |
8. Security, Compliance & SLAs9 criteria
| # | Evaluation Criterion | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| 63 | Data encryption at rest and in transit Is tenant data encrypted at rest and in transit? What encryption standard is used? | H |
| 64 | FDCPA compliance for collections outreach Are collections communications built with FDCPA guardrails? What specific safeguards prevent violations? | H |
| 65 | TCPA compliance and opt-in/opt-out management Does the platform manage SMS opt-in and opt-out tracking and consent records automatically? | H |
| 66 | Uptime SLA (contractual minimum 99.5%+) What is the contractual uptime SLA? What remedies are available if breached? | H |
| 67 | Breach notification timeline (governed by DPA) How quickly will you notify customers after a confirmed security incident? | H |
| 68 | Data Processing Agreement (DPA) included in MSA Is a DPA available for legal review? Is it included in the standard contract? | M |
| 69 | Role-based access controls by property and group Can you restrict access by user role, location group, or individual property? | M |
| 70 | Audit logging of user actions Are all user actions within the platform logged and available for compliance review? | M |
| 71 | AI output disclaimers and model ownership clarity Who owns the AI model and the outputs it produces? Are disclaimers available for review? | M |
9. Onboarding, Support & Scalability9 criteria
| # | Evaluation Criterion | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| 72 | Dedicated onboarding resource (not self-serve only) Is there a named onboarding manager for our account, or is it primarily documentation and self-serve? | H |
| 73 | Training resources: knowledge base and video library Is there a comprehensive help center, video library, or guided training available? | M |
| 74 | Simultaneous multi-location onboarding support Can multiple locations be onboarded in parallel? What is the maximum per cohort? | M |
| 75 | Config hierarchy: Org to Group to Location Does configuration cascade from org level to locations automatically, with individual location overrides available? | H |
| 76 | New property onboarding speed (existing customer) Once live, how quickly can a new acquired location be added to an existing account? | H |
| 77 | Customer success model (ongoing post-onboarding) Is there ongoing CS support after onboarding, or does the relationship end at go-live? | M |
| 78 | Support SLA by severity level What is the contractual response time for P1, P2, and P3 support issues? | M |
| 79 | In-app notifications of product updates and releases Are users notified of new features, fixes, and releases in-platform without requiring external monitoring? | L |
| 80 | Reference customers available for calls Can you connect us with a customer on our specific FMS and a similar portfolio size? | H |